42 Ways to Explore a Carrot

This post is about carrots, but it could have just as easily been about peas. Or watermelon.

Exploring food is so counterintuitive. Usually we focus on eating. And when we do get around to exploring, most of us, myself included, can only readily think about the obvious. You might think of touching a carrot peel, but smell it? Peas might evoke rolling, but playing float/sink? And watermelon. How about digging a hole down the center?

Exploring food away from the table is THE solution to expanding kids’ repertoire of acceptable foods.

Perhaps you’ve heard me say this once or twice! Three reasons:

Eliminate pressure by eliminating any expectation of eating.

Build up child’s database of food facts so more foods are known quantities.

Exploration engages children’s natural curiosity because it is FUN.

Here are 42 ways to explore carrots.

If you can think of other ways, please share them in the comments.

Describe the color, smell, feel, temperature, texture, taste.

Compare color of 2 or 3 carrots.

Roll a carrot on the table.

Cut in half and roll.

Cut in sticks and roll.

Cut the in rounds and roll.

Bend a thick carrot.

Bend a thin carrot.

Bend a baby carrot.

Leave a carrot on the counter for a couple of days. What does it look like?

Bend the carrot you have left on the counter for a couple of days.

Put the “counter-carrot” in a glass of water for a day. Does it bend?

Cut and bend the tip.

Cut and bend the thick bottom.

Scratch an itch with a carrot.

Freeze a carrot and see if you can bite it.

Freeze a carrot and lick it.

Shred a carrot.

Soak a carrot in vinegar. What happens?

Dip a carrot in paint and create!

Juice a carrot.

Steam a carrot. Compare with raw.

Drop a raw and a steamed carrot on the table and compare the sound each makes.

Bake carrot fries. Pinch, roll, smash. Crunch.

Puree carrots. Pick it up with tweezers, with a fork, with a spoon.

Glaze carrots and stick them together.

Use a vegetable peeler to create “noodles.”

Make carrot cake.

Shave, dice, round, julienne and leave whole. Now, make as many carrot animals as possible.